“You’re pouting.”
He hated crowds. “I’m not having fun, Ma.”
“Then why come? You could’ve stayed behind, along with the long face.”
Mani sighed. “I tried.”
“So now I tied you up and carted you along?”
Pretty much, emotionally. He shook his head. “Sorry, Ma. I’m in a mood.”
“A mood? What’s a mood? If you bled like a woman, you’d know about having a mood. You just have a case of spoiled rotten.”
“Yes, Ma.” It was easier to agree.
Ma craned her head. “Ah, now, lets see if these Jewish Greeks can cook anything worth eating.”
For Rochelle’s Friday Fictioneers
Photo prompt © Roger Bultot
Na'ama Yehuda 
So realistic.
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I felt it in my bones … LOL!
Thanks for the comment! 🙂
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You’re welcome Na’ama
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Ma is going to force him to enjoy this day, no matter what!
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Yep! He better enjoy it or else … 😉
Thanks Iain! 🙂
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Beautifully observed
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Thank you, Neil! I’ve been away from FF for a few weeks of work-life-nuttiness and am glad to be back. 🙂
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The sullen teenager. Oy! They are not easy to navigate, that is for sure. Hopefully some food in his belly will make him less grumpy 😉
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Ha! I love your perspective … though having a bossy mama who does not take no for an answer and then claims there was no ‘no’ to begin with … can make one grumpy. He must take after her … 😉
May both of them be ‘cured’ by some good Greek food! 🙂
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There is that… Bossy mamas can be annoying. Then again, they are probably tired of the sullen attitude, as well…
I should like to think a good gyro with lots of tzatziki can help…
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Yeah! Me love a good gyro!
And … it does take two, doesn’t it? Only thing is, when it comes to Mani and his Ma, I think we know who the chicken is and who’s the egg … 😉
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Mmmm… And yes, you be right on them two 😉
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😀 Now, about that gyro!! … 😉
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Yes, please.
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😀
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After reading Dale’s comment, I am struck by how I took and related more to Mani’s side. Different? “Mandatory fun.” And “You’re spoiled.” I can feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Oy! 🙂 Well done, Na’ama, and relatable for me.
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Yep. I was glad to see her perspective, too, for I was kind of on poor Mani’s side … as you picked up on. And yet, there are always more than one grumpions in a story … 😉
So, hopefully Mani will manage some fun, and his mama will manage less snark. 😉
Thanks for the comment!
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🙂
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Having raised three boys who went through the sullen, surly stage, I related. Add my own emotional makeup…yeah…lotsa spoiled rotten and pouting on both sides. 😉 Meanwhile I’ll have a falafel and a side of hummus with red pepper paste. Good one. (Happy to see you back this week, my friend. :D)
Shalom,
Rochelle
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🙂 Thank you, Rochelle! Yes, good to be back.
I hear ya on the ‘it takes two’ reality of Pouter-land. 🙂 Parents are people, too. … I hope they at least bond over some gyro. 🙂
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After reading all the above comments, I could see all those perspectives well. I was drawn to the emotional element of Mani’s internal commentary. Both how he felt, and that emotional blackmail element a mother can push.
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Yep! Aren’t the comments always so amazing to get? I love it that there are always other viewpoints that I didn’t see even as I wrote! 🙂 And I see it in other people’s stories, too. Gotta love this community! 🙂
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I love the interplay here. The character dynamics are so entertaining, and touching, too, as they ring true. Question from the underbelly of the world – What’s a gyro??? 🙃
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Thank you, Margaret! 🙂 I figure a few of us can relate, from one or both sides of the coin … 😉 And … a gyro is a delicious Greek sandwich. Here’s a link to get your appetite going … 🙂
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyros_(food)
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Ah! We call them doner kebabs where I live. I know them well but never heard of them called gyros. Now I know. Thank you.
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Them yum. 🙂
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Great style for this story. Realistic content. Makes me feel that I’ve been there.
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Thank you Oneta! 🙂 I’m glad it felt realistic, though I hope not TOO real … 😉
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she’s training him well. 🙂
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Seems like she is …
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A nicely cooked and garnished gyros should cheer Mani up! Mind you, I suspect he will always resent the way his mother manipulated him – partly because she’ll never stop doing it.
Very nicely written, Na’ama – pitch perfect in both the spoken and the unspoken dialogue.
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Thank you, Penny! I suspect you are right on both counts … 🙂 And, thank you for the lovely feedback! Me love pitch perfect! 🙂
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